


Seventh Wheel

by AppleCherry108



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Earth, Langst, M/M, for any klance shippers that need to feel better after s6 lol, klangst, post-season 6, what are tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-25 05:10:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14969792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppleCherry108/pseuds/AppleCherry108
Summary: After returning to Earth, Lance reflects on his place in the team and decides to stay behind.Set after the season 6 finale.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> can i get uhhhhhh,,, langst? after everything that happened in s6, this is my way of working through my feelings, I guess, considering I wrote this in one sitting with Zero (0) planning (or editing, yikes).
> 
> i'll be writing a second chapter. this first one is me dealing with my broken expectations so the next one'll be me crafting some sort of silver lining lol.

Everything was falling into place.

Shiro was back--the  _real--_ Shiro. Lotor was defeated, Coran was well on his way to completing the new castle with the help of Allura and the Holts. Everyone fit perfectly, everyone was needed.

Except Lance.

The moment they set down on Earth, the  _moment_ he stepped out of Red, she shut him out. The others didn't even notice, so he didn't say anything. He had thought about it the whole journey home. With Keith back, with  _Shiro_ back, the team didn't need him. Heck, they barely even needed him when they were short a paladin, Red rejecting him was just confirmation of this.

It was a frenzy back home. The Garrison, the media, their  _families_ \--all clamoring to meet the paladins. Luckily, thanks to Sam, the Garrison was prepared, and had already started constructions on a new castle. Shiro and Keith left to coordinate defense while the others went to work on the castle. Lance wasn't an engineer or a diplomat, so with nothing to contribute, he went home.

Everything was just how he remembered it. The hot sun beating down on him, the salt in the air. Varadero was every bit as incredible as the day Lance had left. His family was waiting for him, arms open and tears streaming. His mother held him in a vice for at least an hour. Marco and Luis never stopped grilling him about space, and Veronica blessedly would remind their mom to loosen her grip every time she caught Lance turning blue. The reunion was everything Lance had dreamed it would be. Well, almost.

Whenever he'd fantasize about going home to his family, it was always with his new one in tow. He'd dreamed about sitting down to dinner with his mother across from him and his team beside him. He had told them where he was going, but the others were busy. He wasn't even sure they were even paying him any attention when he left.

He had had it all planned out. Shiro would've reached out to shake Mama's hand, only for her to pull him into a bear hug that lifted him off his feet. Pidge would've hit it off with Ronnie and they'd mercilessly roast Lance in a double sister combo. Hunk, who'd already met his family and been to their house, would've sat down and tinkered with all the appliances the first time he caught the washer squeaking. Allura would've introduced herself only for Mama to clutch her chest with a whispered prayer, then sharply turn to Lance and exclaim how beautiful she was, which, in all fairness was her exact reaction, only she saw Allura on the television, not face-to-face.

Inevitably, Coran would've given the whole family a dramatic reenactment of their adventures, and Lance had been sure that the second the words "lover boy" left his mouth, it'd earn a snide comment from Marco or Hunk. And Lance wished, he  _really wished_ , he could've pulled Keith closer, the other boy's face blazing, and proudly declare him the proof of the nickname.

But of course, none of that happened.

None of the other paladins came with him, Coran wasn't there to tell embarrassing stories, Keith...

Lance lets out a deep sigh. The sun is just beginning to set on the beach as he lays on the warm sand, the tide ever so slowly pulling away from his toes. It'd been a little more than a month since they'd arrived on Earth. Or maybe more, he's not sure. He got so used to thinking in terms of quintants and vargas he's having trouble converting back to Earth time. He's really noticing the difference though. An Earth day is longer than a quintant, and there's more days in a week than a quintant in a movement, and even more in a month than a phoeb. Time was dragging, or maybe it just felt that way.

At first, he didn't go anywhere without his communicator, afraid that Haggar or Sendak or whoever was left might find them, but after the first few weeks without so much as a single transmission from the others, he let himself be away from it more and more. It was odd, being home. For so long, the castle had been his home, his teammates his family. It was surreal being without them in a place that was supposed to be more important. Don't get him wrong, Lance was overjoyed to be reunited with his blood family, every moment just as familiar and comforting as the last, but there was a bitterness that sat heavy in the back of his mind.

Given enough hours like these--laying alone under the sky with the ocean as his only company--gave Lance plenty of time to reflect. Maybe everything felt fake because it all felt so... _right_. Here in Varadero, there was no one trying to kill him, no fights to be fought, no war to be won, and every single person loved him and he  _knew_ it. This is where Lance belonged, this is where he fit, and maybe the bitterness was just the struggle to accept that.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the castle had stopped being his home long before it was blown up, that his new family were just people thrown together without choice. It wasn't even something he noticed until Keith left. Lance had never belonged there. Hunk and Pidge--team  _Punk_ \--were always wrapped up in their own bubble. Allura was always doing something both literally and metaphorically magical, and Shiro never gave him the time of day. Well, maybe that was Kuron, but even the real Shiro hardly notices him, so Lance supposes the two aren't really that different on a good day.

And Keith...

With another sigh, Lance shifts his feet, burying them in the sand and relishing the feeling. Lance had been so distracted by  _Keith Keith Keith_ that he had fooled himself into thinking he belonged on the team. Whether he was bickering or starting some dumb competition, talking to or thinking about or hanging out with, Keith took up most of his time. And then he left. Lance was angry, then confused, then just...sad. And alone. And suddenly hyper aware that he didn't belong. He spent a long time wishing for Keith to come back, so maybe he wouldn't be so alone, that maybe it'd fill this void in his life, that maybe Keith...

Lance shakes his head, scowling at his own train of thoughts. Keith came back, and he didn't even spare Lance a "hello." He came back older and mature, with his mother and a  _dog_ , and he made it obvious he didn't have time for petty luxuries like rivalries or crushes. Because,

Because it'd been two years for him. Two years is a long time to hold onto something stupid like a crush, especially in a war. _Especially_ when you don't even see the other person for  _two years._ Not that Keith had even liked him in the first place. Sometimes, in the dead of night, unable to sleep, Lance would pretend his feelings were reciprocated, but he always knew that that was a fantasy. A lie. Even if it wasn't, Keith had two worry-free years to get over it, whereas Lance had been pining for months to no avail, still thinking that they were on the same timeline. He wasn't given the same chance to turn into a mature, grizzled adult who could compartmentalize his feelings. For Keith, it would've felt like a lifetime since he saw Lance, but Lance had just seen him last week! It felt like something out of a cartoon, some stupid, cliched plot device to drive home to the audience that these two characters one hundred percent  _do not belong together_. Lance didn't fancy himself a cartoon character, but he definitely felt like a fool.

A soft buzzing fills the air. Lance shifts enough to pull his phone from his pocket and bring it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Mijo!" Lance flinches away from his mother's tinny cry. "You got a call! On the orange phone!"

His data pad. He sits up, pinning his phone between his shoulder and ear as he reaches for his discarded shoes next to him. "Who was it? Mama, what did they say?"

A growing noise nearby makes it difficult to hear his mother's words. "They're looking for you! They said they're coming..."

"What?" Lance shouts, jamming a finger in his other ear in a vain attempt to hear his mother. "Mama, who's coming? Is it the Galra? Mama?!"

He can't hear anything, he isn't even sure his mother is still talking. The noise is near-deafening, like standing in front of a jet engine. Sand kicks up all around him and seawater sprays everywhere. Lance finally investigates the noice, and his heart drops the second he looks.

It's the Black Lion.

The ship sets down in the shallows before him, engines coming to a tolerable idle. The lion bows its head and out steps Keith and Shiro.

"There you are!" Keith exclaims, throwing his hands up. "We've been looking everywhere for you--why did you leave Red at the Garrison?!"

Lance's heart squeezes, and he curses that even angry and chewing him out, Keith is so unfairly beautiful, even more so in the warm Cuban sunset. He shrugs, looking away. "I told you guys where I was going." he mutters.

"When?!"

"When I left, obviously!" he fires back, not meaning to raise his voice. Keith scowls; Lance scoffs. "I told Coran and the princess, I told Hunk, I told Pidge--I told your mom." Lance takes sick satisfaction in the indignant red that colors Keith's cheeks. "It's not my fault none of you were listening."

"Lance," Shiro steps forward, placing a hand on Keith's shoulder, "you should've made sure we knew. You're a paladin, you can't just--"

"Run away?" he sneers. "I mean, if being shooed off by everyone else because I'm  _in the way_ counts as running away... I mean, it's not like I told absolutely  _everyone_ where I was going, even when it'd be super obvious. Oh, and of course I didn't  _call_ you guys repeatedly to check in, but I guess you didn't get  _those_ memos either."

Shiro is visibly stunned, mouth hanging open. Keith growls, shaking away his brother's hand. "But why did you leave Red behind?"

Lance's heart trips over a beat. He clenches his fists, unable to meet the others' eyes. "Why did you come looking now? Are we under attack? Are the Galra--"

"We're leaving, Lance." Shiro says gently. "The new castle is finished."

Lance blinks. "Already? It's only been like a month--"

"It's been  _three_ , Lance." Keith says, suddenly not sounding quite as irritated.

Yikes, so Lance's math was more than a little off. "Oh." he replies simply. A long tick of silence goes by and then he sits back down in the sand. "Well, still... Doesn't take very long to build a spaceship castle, does it?" With great effort, he cracks a small smile.

The other two don't return it.

"Is there anything you need at your house? Clothes, armor? Goodbyes?" Shiro asks.

"I only need one goodbye and it's this one."

Lance can practically taste their confusion, the air around them turning tense and quiet.

"...What?" Keith rasps after a minute.

Lance brings his knees to his chest, resting his head atop his folded arms. "You're right, I should say goodbye to the others too."

"Lance--"

"What are you talking about!?" Keith demands, stomping down the ramp only to be held back by Shiro once more.

Lance takes a deep breath. "I'm not leaving. I'm staying. Here. On Earth."

"You can't just--"

" _Keith_." Shiro warns.

Lance lets out a hollow little laugh. "C'mon, Mullet, don't be like that. You know as well as I do that I just get in the way."

"Lance..."

"We need you!"

The words surprise Lance, especially because they came from Keith. He looks up at the now older boy; he looks...shaken, devastated.

Another dry laugh bubbles out of Lance's throat before he can stop it. "No, you don't."

"Of  _course_ we do. Who's going to--"

"Fly Red?" Lance cuts in. The look on Keith's face says it all. Lance hates that, even for a second, he entertained the hope that this might be about more than Voltron. "I don't know, but it won't be me." he confesses, voice wobbling. "She made that perfectly clear when she shut me out."

"She...what?" Keith falters.

"Lance," Shiro cuts in softly. "When did this happen?"

Lance shrugs with a sniffle and scrubs his eyes with his sleeve. "When we got to Earth? Like the  _second_ we landed?" His expression twists into something ugly. "With you and Keith back and the castle gone, 'guess she was just putting up with me until she could dump me somewhere safe."

Keith lurches forward a step. "What are you talking about!?" His voice breaks.

"Lance, you  _know_ that's not true..."

"Isn't it, though?" It takes everything in him not to start crying then and there. "I'm not smart like Hunk or Pidge. I can't hack a computer or fix a ship. I'm not magical like Allura, and I'm not a leader--not like you guys. You five are the best possible versions of yourselves, the best possible  _paladins_. You don't need a screw-up like me slowing you down."

Lance's throat feels thick, making it hard to swallow, to breathe. Keith and Shiro can only stare at him, shocked. Their lack of rebuttal is extremely telling.

"Look, it's fine." His voice is quiet and warbles dangerously. "I'm home--I'm finally _home_. You guys don't need to worry about me. This is where I belong. I'm..." A shaky inhale. "I'm happy here."

He tries his best to put on the mask, to play the carefree version of himself he likes to present to the others, and smiles.

Shiro narrows his eyes, studying him, before relenting. "If you're sure..."

"I am."

"What?" Even two years older, Keith's voice still cracks like a thirteen year old. "No, Shiro--how can you be okay with this?!" He whips around to Lance, angry and frantic. "You can't--Lance you can't just-just  _leave!_ "

"You did."

Keith pales, words dying on his tongue. He opens and closes his mouth several times but nothing comes out.

"Lance is right, Keith." Shiro's voice is soft, meant only for his brother. "We all have the right to walk away. You did, Pidge almost did. Lance deserves to have that choice as well."

Keith turns to Shiro, then to Lance, eyes wide and speechless.

"Come on," he places a gentle hand on Keith's shoulder and guides him up the ramp and back into the Black Lion. Before disappearing into the cockpit, he turns back to Lance. "We're not leaving yet. There's some things we need to finalize with the Garrison's defenses, so we'll be here another day or so. If you...if you change your mind."

Lance nods and watches his friends board the lion, watches Black sit upright and take off, watches long after they disappear over the horizon.

It's strange, the feeling he's left with. He hasn't felt this light in ages, like a weight's been lifted off him. Then again, does it count as relief if he just feels empty inside?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Solstice! My brother got married, I'm about to go see Jurassic World, and I made myself feel better about season 6. Cheers!
> 
> (I'm also rushing off, so this isn't really edited again)

Lance cried.

He sat there and cried, and when he was finished, he cried some more. Somewhere in the middle of it all, he had texted his mother, told her everything turned out to be fine, just that he would be home late. He didn't want to go back to his house, not yet. He didn't want his family to see him like this: puffy, tear-streaked. Broken.

They could've fought harder to keep him. Lance is sure he would've fought back just as hard, convinced he'd made the right decision. But they could've fought him harder on it. It had been so easy. Too easy, like they had just been waiting for him to say something first so they didn't have to try to kick him off the team.

Lance hiccups as another wave of tears hit him.

It's fine. It's fine.  _It's fine it's fine it's fine it's fine it's fine it's **fine.**_

A broken sob breaks past his lips, unable to hold it in. He still can't tell if he's relieved or devastated. Both? Probably both.

The sun has long since set, the stars and moon his only light. Although the ocean is just a dark void before him now, the sounds of the gently rolling waves are still soothing. He misses Blue. He misses Red. He misses everything he only thought he had.

"Hey."

Lance startles, whipping around to the sudden voice. It's Keith.  _God,_ why is  _Keith_ of all people here? Lance sniffles loudly, furiously scrubbing away his tears. "I was expecting Hunk." he tries jokingly.

Keith stops a few feet away, looking down at him. "Shiro hasn't told the others yet. He thinks you'll change your mind."

Lance gives a short huff of a laugh that pains his heart. "And you?"

Keith sighs and sits down next to him. "I wanted a better goodbye." he admits quietly.

Lance's eyes sting, struggling to hold back more tears. "Good to know you think so little of me." He pauses. "Are you trying to spite me into coming back?"

He can just barely see the upward quirk of Keith's mouth. "Is it working?"

Lance laughs, a real, genuine laugh that makes his entire being hurt all the more. "No."

Keith hums something disappointed. They sit in silence, staring ahead at the dark water, just listening to sounds of the night. There's a thousand things Lance would like to say, but at the same time none of them matter anymore. He just tries to be content with this, a shared silence in good company. A proper farewell.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about Red?" Keith asks quietly after a long while.

Lance takes a slow, deep breath and exhales. "Dunno." he says honestly. "I guess I didn't say anything because... Because I knew it was coming? Or felt it, I guess...

Lance hears Keith's disgruntled little noise and just knows he's scowling. "But that doesn't make  _any sense! Why_ would Red-- _argh!_ "

Lance can't help but chuckle at the other boy's frustration. There's something charming about Keith's simple outlook. Or maybe there's just something charming about Keith. "Relax, Mullet. I'm flattered you think that I'm actually special, but face it. I was a terrible paladin. I was bad for the team and I was bad for Red. I couldn't even help Shiro, even when he was trying to reach out to me." Lance sighs, stretching his legs out and leaning back on his hands. He lets his chin sink onto his chest. "I was just a spare wheel," he says quietly, "a temporary fix to keep the team limping along until you and Shiro were back in commission."

Keith glares at him, lips pressed together and twitching. Even in the sparse light, Lance can see how deeply his frown cuts his features. "You are  _not_ a spare, Lance." he says emphatically, so sure of himself that Lance can't help but smile.

"When have I ever contributed anything significant to the team?"

Keith practically growls. "Are you kidding me?! Do you even realize how many times you've saved all our lives?  _My_ life? We'd all be _dead_ without you!" Lance barks a tiny laugh; Keith's scowl intensifies. "For starters, you literally sacrificed yourself for Allura. You saved Coran when you didn't even  _know_ him! Lance, you saved me more times than I can count--without you, I would  _absolutely_ be dead! The whole team would be! If it weren't for you, I would've gotten us all killed trying to catch Lotor. Hell, if it weren't for you, we never would've even found the Blue Lion, much less have become Voltron!"

The smile Lance gives him is pained and pitiful. "You guys would've pulled through without me." he says, voice thick with barely contained emotion and tears. "One of you would've gotten through to Blue. I was just in the right place at the right time, filling in for a princess that just hadn't woken up yet."

The noise Keith makes is downright heart-wrenching. "It's not  _just_ about Voltron." he practically begs. "Lance, we  _need_ you, even if you're not in a lion, you're a part of our team, you're a part of our  _family."_

The word spears straight through Lance's chest and steals all his breath. He can feel his tears threatening to return with a vengeance.

"You once told Allura that she's the heart of the team, but I don't think that's right.  _You_ bring us together, Lance, and you're the glue that  _keeps_ us together."

"Couldn't keep you, though."

"I--" Keith's voice cracks, clearly thrown off. "I..." he tries again, much quieter. "I left,  _for_ you, Lance..." he admits softly.

Lance stares at him, incredulous. "You said you left so Shiro could reconnect with the Black Lion." he says breathlessly. "You left because you  _hated_ being the leader."

"I mean," Keith looks away, pulling his knees to his chest. "Those were... _factors,_ I considered, but that's not  _why_ I left." Keith takes a deep breath before continuing. "Back then... Even back then you were worried about your place on the team, but you're far more integral than I am, Lance, and I would gladly step aside again because I knew then what I know now--being a paladin made you happy."

" _You_ made me happy."

The look on Keith's face punches all the air out of Lance; eyes wide and disbelieving. And then... He laughs.

It's quiet at first, but quickly builds, growing strong enough to shake his whole body. Lance can feel the earth open up beneath him and swallow him whole. How could he have admitted that? How could he have just  _blurted_ that out to Keith when he was so,  _so_ close to just letting it all go. The louder Keith's laughter grows, the harder his chest tightens around his heart, trying to squeeze it out of existence, but then...

Then it changes. Keith's laughter seamlessly melts into sobs, horrible wracking sobs that tear out his throat, trembling so violently it looks like it might tear him apart. His rakes a hand through his long hair, grabbing a fistful and pulling painfully.

" _That's_ ," he hiccups wetly, "that's the context?  _Now?_ " He futilely gasps for a breath as tears stream down his cheeks.

Lance is at a complete loss. He reaches out a hand to the shaking boy but doesn't let it connect. "Keith, I..."

Another horrible sob. "I didn't  _know!"_ he wails, tearing at his hair. "I didn't know I-- _that I--_ " He tries for another breath only for his lungs to stutter like broken motor. "The-the gravity wells and-and-- _space time,_ I--I didn't  _know!_ I didn't know that I was--that my mom and I were-- _two years, Lance!_ " Lance flinches away. "I was stuck for  _two. YEARS._ And all that time I thought--I didn't think--" He sniffles loudly and buries his face in his hands.

"I thought about everyone every single day--I thought about  _you._ I wondered if the war was over, I wondered if everyone was  _safe_ , I wondered if--and all the while I was  _stuck, **useless**_ on the slowest whale in the universe!" He took a deep breath, hands sliding down his face. "I wondered if you all thought I was dead. I wondered if you had looked for me. I..." He shakes his head. "But I had... _hope_ , all because of that--that  _thing._ It was like magic--it showed us the past, and--" his voice drops to barely a whisper, "and the future, or glimpses of it, at least."

He sighs, long and deep, and suddenly the older boy looked twice his age. "But there was no... _context,_ to what I saw, just snippets here and there, and..." He closes his eyes, brows pinching in a heartbroken expression. "I saw  _this, us, here_ on  _this_ beach having  _this_ conversation, I--" Another sob breaks his composure. "You said I made you happy and, I... That's  _all_ I saw, but it was  _enough._ Sometimes I'd think I'd been gone too long, that,  _surely_ , after all this time, you and Allura would--but that glimpse, that one  _tiny moment_ kept me hoping. Hoping that--that maybe it wasn't too late, that maybe you'd... Wait for me."

Keith glares daggers at his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. "But then... Everything with Lotor--and  _Shiro_ , I--" He squeezes his eyes shut. "I was so worried, so  _panicked_ that I channeled everything into saving him and pushed everyone and everything else away--I pushed... _you,_  away." Another tear slips down his cheek. "It'd been so long and I was so-- _happy_ to see you, but--" He shakes his head, long hair falling over his face. "I thought I had changed the future--that I'd  _ruined_ it." His voice breaks, as does the dam on his tears as they start flowing freely again. "And now  _here_ ,  _now,_ this moment--this moment I had  _cherished_ for so long and I..." A shuddering breath leaves his lips. "Context." he rasps. "I never knew... Never  _thought,_ the context would be... This."

Lance isn't sure he's still breathing, his mind reeling to process everything just said. He closes his mouth and tries to swallow, tries to find words--any words--that would make this all better. "Keith," he tries, voice sounding foreign to his own ears.

Keith shakes his head slowly. "It's okay." His own voice is hoarse after his outburst. "I don't expect you to...to change your mind." He let's out a rattling breath and shifts to look at Lance; he looks worse than Lance feels and somehow that just makes Lance feel even worse _._ "I get it. I don't agree with your reasoning but... Lance, if we really make you feel that way, then... Then do what you think is best. For  _you_." With great effort, Keith manages a small but pained smile. "I just want you to be happy, Lance."

"You jerk." Lance hiccups, his own tears falling fresh again. "You're still just trying to get me to come back out of spite."

Keith's smile grows, full of warmth and a knowing fondness that makes Lance cry harder.

"Why are you telling me all this now? Why didn't you say anything when-when you left?"

Keith's eyes fall shut and his smile strains all his features. "Because," comes his hoarse reply, "I was scared."

Lance can't help the broken laugh that tumbles from his lips; Keith still smiles.

"I was scared you would reject me, that  _everyone_ would reject me. And I lied because... Because I knew that if you knew why I left, that you'd try to stop me." He turns that horrid smile to Lance. "Lance, if you had known, if I had  _told_ you, you would've refused to pilot Red until I came back."

"You're damn right I would have."

They both laugh, the bittersweet sound fading into the night. They return to silence, both drained and raw. Lance feels...better, as strange as that is to think. He's still mourning everything he's lost, everything he could have had, but... He's okay, he thinks. He's at peace. He has closure.

By the time Keith speaks again, the moon has set over the horizon.

"Will you come back with me, to say goodbye to the others?"

Lance takes a deep breath and nods. "Yeah, I...I'd like that."

Keith stands first and offers a hand to Lance; he accepts it. They linger for a brief moment, an unspoken desire that neither quite dares to see through, before letting their hands fall to their sides with muttered thanks.

Keith leads them down the beach in silence. After a few minutes of walking, Lance is able to made out a faintly glowing, towering figure ahead of them.

"No, not now..." Keith mutters and picks up his pace.

Lance follows closely behind as they approach the Black Lion; her particle barrier is up. Keith's groan is long and suffering as he lays a hand on the barrier.

"She's been doing this lately."

Lance glances up at the intimidatingly large ship. "What's wrong?"

Keith sighs. "She being  _finicky._ " he grumbles. Lance quirks an eyebrow at him; he sighs again. "It's like... She can't decide who she wants to pilot her--sometimes it's me, sometimes it's Shiro. Sometimes she only opens up if we're  _both_ there." Keith tilts his head back to glare at the lion. "I don't understand, she didn't put up any resistance when I came here..."

Lance hums. It makes sense to him. Keith had earned her respect, but she still held a torch for Shiro. Lance could understand her indecisiveness.

An idea strikes Lance, something silly for old times' sake. "Hey Keith," Keith grunts and looks over; Lance grins. "Maybe you just need to knock."

Keith shakes his head fondly and rolls his eyes as Lance gently raps his knuckles against the barrier.

And then the whole thing dissipates.

The mischief falls off Lance's face as he and Keith stare at each other. His breath sticks in his throat as he slowly, agonizingly, turns to face the lion.

" _Lance,_ " Keith breaths out.

"I..." Lance can't get any words out. His hand remains frozen in the air, trembling where the barrier had been just moments ago.

It's...not real. It can't be. His lungs finally restarted only to take quick, shallow breaths. Keith steps towards him.

"Lance." he whispers, far, far too close. It sends a shiver up Lance's spine.

He's vaguely aware that he's minutely shaking his head. "It's... A trick. It can't..."

He takes a stumbling step forwards, then another, and another. Black doesn't push him out, in fact, he feels like he's being drawn in. Behind him, he can hear Keith's breath quicken. They make their way up the ramp and into the cockpit at a dizzying, dreamlike pace. Somewhere, buried deep in the back of Lance's mind, he can feel a pressure, warm and encouraging. He's barely inside the door, nowhere near the pilot's chair, but he lays a hand down on one of the consoles and the entire room lights up for him. He gasps a wet, shaking laugh, disbelief still stubbornly clinging to him even as a deep, rumbling purr fills his mind with warmth and comfort.

"This can't... It's a mistake, I..."

"Lance," there's Keith again, standing by his side and gazing around them in awe. "She chose you. The Black Lion chose you."

Lance lets out an uncertain sob, tinged with hope.

Keith wanders further into the cockpit. "This is why Red shut you out, this is why Shiro and I..." He turns back to Lance, smile radiant. "Lance, the Black Lion wants you to be her paladin."

Lance grips the console for support, knees weak. He feels light headed. "But... Why me? She could have _you_. She could have _Shiro_ , I..." The purring in his mind grows stronger, nearly overwhelming him. "I'm not... _worthy._ "

Immediately he's flooded with his own memories: guiding Allura, consoling Shiro, encouraging Hunk, protecting Pidge, supporting Keith--making strategic calls, putting the team before himself, deferring to the others and leading by example.

Tears cascade from his wide eyes as all these memories are tinged with love and  _trust_.

"What's she saying?" Keith whispers.

Lance blinks away his tears to find the other boy staring at him. He gulps down a breath. "You can't hear her?" he rasps.

Keith shakes his head.

Black curls around Lance's thoughts once more, reminding him of his selfless deeds, of his protective and caring nature. She shows him the others' blind faith in Shiro, their frustration and reluctance with Keith's reckless leadership. And then she shows him himself, helping Pidge collect coins in a fountain, worrying endlessly over Allura's safety, going out of his way to keep Coran company, never leaving Hunk behind no matter how much he struggles or doubts himself. And she shows him him and Keith, how their relationship blossomed from begrudging to undying trust. She shows him how much he's grown. How he's _earned_ each and every one of his teammate's respect.

"Lance?"

His focus switches back to Keith, Keith who never wanted to lead, who did so only because of Lance's faith in him, who left the team because he saw greatness in Lance, who wouldn't let him leave without closure.

Keith, a right hand that would do anything for him.

Lance laughs. Loud and a little hysterical, but also so,  _so_ happy. Keith absolutely beams at him, a fiercely proud smile Lance has never seen him wear before. It's all so much, a little too much, Lance starts to lose his balance but Keith swoops in and catches him.

They're both laughing now. Laughing and crying.

Their foreheads find each other, bumping together a little clumsily, pressing close and firm. Keith's grip on Lance's waist tightens and Lance squeezes his shoulders in return.

"Does this mean you'll stay?" Keith asks, voice breathless with laughter.

"Will you be my right hand?"

"Always."

Lance smiles so wide his face aches. He slides his hand off the console to cradle Keith's face, meeting his eyes. "Of course."

Keith leans into the touch, eyes crinkling with his smile. He's beautiful. Perfect.

Lance kisses him.

Keith sighs, melting against him. They move softly against each other, reveling in the other's warmth. When Lance moves away, he swears he can see every star in the universe twinkling in Keith's eyes. Lance strokes his thumb over his cheek.

"I'd always wait for you. Always."

Keith's face splits into a grin before he's surging forward to kiss Lance again. His chin, his nose, his jaw, his cheeks--anywhere and everywhere he can reach. Lance laughs, skin tingling, as he tries to maneuver to meet Keith's lips again. They connect once more in an impassioned kiss, pulling and pressing at each other like their lives depend on it. Keith breaks for air with a gasp, cheeks flushed a lovely crimson.

"Did you see this part of the future?" Lance asks as he presses a firm kiss to the crown of Keith's head while the other boy nestles into his neck.

Keith shakes his head. "No, but it's a pleasant surprise." Lance laughs and tilts Keith's chin up to plant another kiss on him. Keith hums, sinking into the contact. "I do know you're in for another growth spurt, though."

Lance pumps his fist. " _Yesss._ I miss being taller than you."

Keith purrs, kissing along Lance's jaw. "Just be patient."

A soft little noise escapes Lance as Keith moves to nibble at his ear. Lance leans back onto the console for support and is met with an amused noise floating through his mind, not unlike a chuckle. He swallows a curse. "M-maybe not with Black watching." he laments as he gently pushes Keith away.

Keith bites his lip and presses his face into the crook of Lance's neck. "Sorry."

Lance hums, combing his finger's through the other boy's long hair. "Don't be."

They stay like that for a long moment, just standing there, holding each other, before Lance gently nudges Keith with a contented sigh. "So I should probably go tell my family I'm leaving."

Keith hums, smoothing his hands over Lance's chest. "It's late. It can wait until morning."

Lance gives him an amused smirk. "Well then, we should at least go and make sure Red wants you back."

"She does."

Lance quirks an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Keith nods, all floaty and dreamy, and taps a finger to his temple. "She already told me."

"When?"

"Right after Black started talking to you."

Lance grins and pulls the other boy close again. "Then what should we do now?"

Keith wraps his arms around him again. "I have an idea..."

Then spend the rest of the night back on the beach, in Varadero. Holding each other and whispering sweet adorations. They watch the sun come up before returning to Lance's family home, and eventually back to the other paladins. They're greeted with hugs and awe, and a very relieved Shiro.

Lance is home.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos mean the world to me <3


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